‘Superman’ and DC Studios fly to a US$122 million opening

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows David Corenswet in a scene from "Superman." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

NEW YORK -- In a bid to kickoff a new era for DC Studios, James Gunn’s “Superman” opened with US$122 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

DC and Warner Bros. had a lot riding on “Superman.” While the Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios has had its own share of struggles, the superheroes of DC have recently found mostly kryptonite in theaters. Films like “Joker: Folie a Deux,” “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” all flopped.

But “Superman,” written and directed by Gunn, is intended as a new start. It’s the first release fully steered by Gunn and Peter Safran, co-heads of DC Studios, since they were handed the keys to DC’s superhero cinematic universe.

And while Gunn turned “Guardians of the Galaxy” into a massive success for Marvel, his irreverent, idiosyncratic touch made the director -- once a B-movie filmmaker with Troma Entertainment -- an unlikely steward for one of the movies’ most bankable and beloved brands.

The roughly on-target opening was the third largest of 2025, and the first DC title to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend since “Wonder Woman” in 2017. Warner Bros. could also celebrate a unique hot streak: “Superman” is their fifth movie in a row to open over $45 million.

“It’s quite a win for DC Studios,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, chief of distribution for Warner Bros. “We needed to get the trust of the fanbase, and we didn’t have it. They were clear to us that we needed to take a step back and reinvent ourselves.”

Ticket sales were relatively soft for “Superman” overseas. In 78 international markets, it grossed $95 million. In China, it collected just $6.6 million.

David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe, called the international performance the only ding against the otherwise strong “Superman” debut.

“Thus far, the foreign openings are not equal to domestic,” said Gross. “Superman has always been identified as a quintessentially American character and story, and in some parts of the world, America is currently not enjoying its greatest popularity.”

As an American icon, “Superman” also attracted political discourse at home. Some right-wing commentators criticized the movie as “woke” after Gunn described the superhero from Krypton as “an immigrant.” On X, the White House posted an image of President Donald Trump as Superman.

In “Superman,” which cost about $225 million to make, Gunn steers the Man of Steel in a drastically different tonal direction than in previous iterations from filmmaker Zack Snyder. Skipping the Kansas origin story, the film instead picks up with Superman (David Corenswet) after his first defeat. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult is Lex Luthor.

The “Superman” debut didn’t come close to besting the $166 million launch for Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” in 2016. But it did open higher, not accounting for inflation, than Snyder’s “Man of Steel.” That film debuted with $116 million in 2013.

But while Snyder’s films were often unloved by critics, largely good reviews greeted Gunn’s “Superman.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 82 per cent fresh -- the best for the franchise since the first two movies with Christopher Reeve: “Superman” (1978) and “Superman II” (1980). Audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.

“Superman” faced sizeable competition too. Last week’s top film, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” slid to second place with $40 million. With “Superman” soaking up many large-format screens, Universal Pictures’ seventh “Jurassic” film slipped a steep 57 per cent from its opening weekend. Starring Scarlett Johansson, “Jurassic World Rebirth” got off to a thunderous $318.3 million global start. In two weeks, it’s amassed $529.5 million worldwide.

Also still in the mix is Apple Studios’ biggest box-office success yet, “F1.” Joseph Kosinski’s Formula One action thriller, starring Brad Pitt, came in third with $13 million in its third weekend. The film, distributed by Warner Bros., has collected $393.4 million globally in three weeks. But it also carries a hefty price tag of roughly $250 million, plus at least $100 million in promotion.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore:

1. “Superman,” $122 million.

2. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $40 million.

3. “F1: The Movie,” $13 million.

4. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $7.8 million.

5. “Elio,” $3.9 million.

6. “28 Years Later,” $2.7 million.

7. “Lilo & Stitch,” $2.7 million.

8. “Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning,” $1.5 million.

9. “M3gan 2.0,” $1.4 million.

10. “Materialists,” $720,498.

By Jake Coyle